In the short drama, the original host only discovered she was pregnant after she miscarried from exhaustion while busily helping arrange the male and female leads’ wedding. Because she bled during her younger brother and sister-in-law’s wedding banquet, she was constantly scolded afterward. Once the female lead married into the family, whenever anything went wrong, she would use Mother Gu’s mouth to mock her and call her inauspicious.
A few years later, the original host became pregnant again, but because of her mother-in-law’s harsh treatment and her own habit of working desperately hard every single day, although she managed to give birth to the child, both mother and son died on the birthing bed from severe malnutrition.
After Gu Shiye learned the cause of his wife and child’s deaths, he was consumed by guilt and grief and drank pesticide to end his life.
Gu Shiye could see the worry in his wife’s eyes, so he comforted her softly. “Xiuxiu, don’t be afraid. As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.”
Li Wenxiu nodded and drank several more mouthfuls of the spiritual spring water to calm herself.
At that moment, none of the other members of the Gu family could sleep after returning to their rooms.
The eldest branch husband and wife were the more calculating sort.
“Shizhu, this time we absolutely must split the family. Everyone in the village knows Father and Mother favor those dragon-phoenix twins. Fourth Brother just started working, yet they’re already spending eight hundred yuan in betrothal gifts for him to marry a wife. And there’s still the younger sister who’s about to graduate. In the future, who knows how much those siblings will keep draining blood from us elder brothers and sisters-in-law.”
The more Gu Shizhu thought about it, the more frightened he became. “This family really does need to split soon.” If Third Brother hadn’t brought it up today, they would probably have continued living in confusion for who knew how many more years.
Meanwhile, the second branch couple quietly sighed in their room.
“Shinian, do we really have to go as far as splitting the family?”
Gu Shinian replied, “This time, we’ll stand together with Eldest Brother and Third Brother.” When he thought about how the family could casually take out eight hundred yuan for Fourth Brother’s betrothal gifts while his own three year old daughter had nearly starved to death a few months ago, his chest tightened with resentment.
Gu Shiyu lay in bed praying the family would not split apart, because she knew that compared to her Fourth Brother, she was always the one expected to give way. Back when the family did not have enough money for both of them to attend school, the family had prioritized her Fourth Brother and made her delay enrollment by an entire year.
The old Gu couple were having an intense discussion inside their room.
“Old man, hurry and think of something. This family absolutely cannot split. Fourth and Fifth are still so young, they still need the support of their three older brothers.”
Father Gu naturally knew the family could not split apart. If outsiders found out the family had divided because of the sky high betrothal gifts for Fourth Brother’s marriage, the villagers would stab holes through their backs with gossip.
After thinking for a while, he decided, “Go call Eldest over here.”
Mother Gu immediately understood. The old man really was clever. Even though they had heavily favored the two younger children all these years, they still had some affection for the eldest son. As long as they stabilized the eldest branch, they would still have some leverage.
Soon, Father Gu and Gu Shizhu were standing beneath the corner wall outside the Gu family courtyard, speaking in low voices.
“Shizhu, tell me honestly. Since three months ago, you’ve already been handing less money over to the family. Have I ever settled accounts with your branch over it?”
Hearing his father’s warning, Gu Shizhu immediately became so nervous that he raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Well, Father, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have joined Third Brother and the others in demanding a split. From now on, I’ll do my best to hand over the full amount to the communal funds.”
Wanting to win people over, Father Gu took a drag from his cigarette and said, “Forget it. What man doesn’t need money to spend outside? As long as you’re obedient, and since you’re the eldest son of the family, your mother and I will naturally look after your branch.”
Gu Shizhu wiped the sweat from his forehead again and repeatedly nodded with his head lowered. “Father, I understand. Thank you, Father.”
Only after stabilizing the crisis of splitting the family did Father Gu walk over and knock on another door.
“Father.” Gu Shicheng opened the door.
Father Gu looked at him and sighed softly. “Tomorrow, go talk with the Lin family and see if they can lower the betrothal gifts a little more. Eight hundred yuan really is too much.”
Gu Shicheng quietly clenched his fists behind his back. “Father, the Lin family are city people. Baozhu is also a teacher like me with an iron rice bowl. The betrothal gifts definitely can’t be reduced by too much.”
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Father Gu said, “Just try your best first.”
In his opinion, country people should honestly marry country wives. Even among city people marrying each other, there were none demanding eight hundred yuan in betrothal gifts. The only reason the other side dared to ask for that much was because a rural man wanted to marry a city girl.
All this mess had nearly caused the family to split apart.
Inside another room, Gu Shiye silently watched all of Father Gu’s manipulative tricks unfold.
Early the next morning, it was the third branch’s turn to handle the household chores.
Before it was even time to get up, Mother Gu deliberately started causing a huge commotion in the courtyard out of selfish motives. Anyone seeing the scene would think Li Wenxiu was lazily avoiding work.
In truth, everyone in the village knew that the original host worked diligently every single day as though she were risking her life.
So even if Li Wenxiu were to rest on her past contributions now, she had more than earned that right.
Gu Shiye got up and stepped out of the space. Opening the door, he said, “Mother, stop shouting. My wife is pregnant and not feeling well. I’m taking leave today to bring her to see a doctor.”
Mother Gu instantly exploded. “What? She’s pregnant and still wants to see a doctor? I think you two are just burning money for nothing. What woman doesn’t get pregnant? Let me tell you, if you expect the communal funds to pay for this, not a single cent is coming out.”
Gu Shiye was so angry his lungs hurt. Expressionless, he replied, “Then let’s split the family. We’ll only take the portion that belongs to us.”
Mother Gu was so frightened that she did not dare continue arguing. She slapped her thigh and cried out in grievance, “Shiye, you unfilial son! You’ve become so incapable of managing a household now. It’s all because that vixen wife of yours led you astray!”
“Shut up!”
After roaring those words, Gu Shiye turned and headed straight into the kitchen.
Mother Gu chased after him again. “Shiye, do you really not want a future anymore? You’re a grown man, not someone without a wife, how can you enter the kitchen?”
After finishing breakfast, Gu Shiye secretly cooked the twenty eggs he had received from signing in today and stored them in the space. Then he portioned out the prepared food and carried the third branch’s share back into their room to eat.
After breakfast, since he could not get any money from the family, he directly went to the production team leader to request an advance on his wages. The original host had been a tractor driver for the production brigade, so aside from work point subsidies, he also received a salary every month. At the same time, he deliberately brought his wife along to sell a pitiful story, successfully borrowing a bicycle.
Very quickly, the scandal of the Gu family mistreating their son and daughter-in-law spread rapidly throughout the village.
Father Gu immediately lost his temper while working in the fields and fiercely scolded Mother Gu in front of everyone, publicly distancing himself from the accusations of mistreating his son and daughter-in-law, insisting that none of it had been his doing.
Gu Shiye rode the bicycle with Li Wenxiu seated behind him on their way to the commune when they happened to encounter Gu Shicheng walking there on foot.
Gu Shiye deliberately slowed the bicycle in front of him and provocatively whistled. Before the other man could react, he suddenly sped away again.
Left behind in the dust, Gu Shicheng clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles crackled. Once he managed to get a bicycle coupon, he would definitely make Father and Mother use the communal funds to buy him a bicycle.